European Commissioner for Budget, Anti‑Fraud and Public Administration Piotr Serafin will visit Bulgaria on October 29‑30, according to a press release from the European Commission Representation in Bulgaria. The trip is part of his wider European tour to consult Member States on the bloc’s next long‑term budget.
On Thursday, Serafin will confer with Prime Minister Rumen Radev, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Galab Donev, and Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Pekanov—responsible for EU fund management. He will then open a conference titled The Next Multiannual Financial Framework: Priorities and Principles in Sofia, jointly organised by the European Commission Representation, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland and the Sofia office of the European Council on Foreign Relations.
The following day, the commissioner will meet with members of the National Association of the Municipalities to discuss regional aspects of the national and regional partnership plans for the next Multiannual Financial Framework. He will also visit the National STEM Centre in Sofia Tech Park, a hub for science, technology, engineering and mathematics co‑funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan, and will tour the laboratory and mission control room of EnduroSat, a satellite manufacturer benefitting from EU funding through the European Innovation Council. Deputy Prime Minister Pekanov will accompany Serafin on these visits.
Serafin’s remarks during his tour emphasize the need to simplify complex funding procedures, ease administrative burdens and improve transparency. Stakeholders have highlighted the importance of reducing overlapping regulations and strengthening legal consistency to make EU funding easier to navigate. Since taking office, he has visited 22 EU countries, gathering input to shape the 2028–2034 MFF proposal.
